It is November and still surprisingly warm, though we get cold blasts here and there. It was entirely warm enough to work outside this weekend, which is exactly what we did. Outdoor tasks become a bit of a race at this time of year.
Tasks completed:
- protecting the trunks of the two willow trees that we planted earlier this year from a bark-defacing deer;
- spreading a layer of biochar (our recently burned brush and branches) over the largest of our garden bends;
- burning another round of brush and a bit more tree pruning;
- continuing with the expansion of our largest vegetable bed (manual digging is always first on this clay – we can’t use the tiller until that top layer has been broken through!)
- completing the roof and associated odds and ends on our tree house (photos coming soon);
- planting two dwarf lilac trees** (a steal at $10 each at our local nursery) and a smattering of tulip bulbs around their bases
- lots of cooking on the woodstove (again, an update coming shortly)
** Note: this activity invovled walking a total of 1km out to one of our fields to an old compost heap for soil and twice up a very steep hill pushing the wheelbarrow as the mini tractor-trailer was in use by the menfolk to carry supplies to the treehouse. I think I should get loads of extra points for this activity, just for the record. My thirteen-year old, however, also gets bonus points for swimming for two straight hours this evening following the day’s work; he’s studying for his Bronze Medallion and couldn’t miss his lesson.
Tonight’s reward was the final Harry Potter movie, which we missed seeing in the cinema, and a yummy fish ‘pie’ in puff pastry that I cooked up. A good weekend.
